The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has announced plans to build a lunar base by 2020... for robots.
Beginning in 2015, the plan is to land large, mostly autonomous robots near the south pole of the moon and begin construction of an unmanned base. This would be the first time a complex structure is built on another world.
The robots will be equipped with tank-like treads, solar panels, seismographs, high-definition cameras, and arms to retrieve moon rock samples. Those samples will then be returned to the Earth via rocket.
This is a very ambitious project. But something tells me the Japanese know what they're doing when it comes to robots. I'm loving JAXA right now.
fb'd. Go Japan!
ReplyDeletethose guys are nuts!! very cool.
ReplyDelete"Samples will be returned to the earth via rocket..."
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, why is it that I don't like the sound of that.
Gundams on the Moon! :-D :-D
ReplyDelete